Biochemistry of Halogenated Amino Acids

Abstract

When a biologically active analogue is processed to metabolites which themselves are biologically active—for example, the lethal synthesis of fluorocitrate from fluoroacetate—a combination of effects may be seen, which can complicate interpretation of biological behavior. The situation becomes even more complex when the analogue can be incorporated into macromolecular systems essential to the functioning of the organism—the diversities of biological actions of fluorouracil and bromodeoxyuridine are notable examples. This latter situation definitely pertains in the study of the biological effects of halogenated amino acids, since these analogues can function as inhibitors of specific enzymes, as substrates for incorporation into enzymes and other proteins, and as precursors of other critical biomolecules, such as aminergic neurotransmitters. Fraudulent enzymes, inactive regulatory proteins, and conformationally altered structural proteins are examples of possible consequences of analogue incorporation into protein. While this situation has complicated interpretation of biochemical observations, it also enhances the value of these analogues by virtue of their potential application to the study of a broad spectrum of cellular mechanisms.

Creveling. C. R.. and Kirk. K. L., 1985. The effect of ring-fluorination on the rate of 0-methylation of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) by catechol-O-methyltransferase: Significance in the development of 18F-PETT scanning agents, Biochem. Biophrs. Res. Commun. 130: 1123–1131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Uitto, J., and Prockop, D. J., 1974. Incorporation of proline analogues into collagen polypeptides. Effects on the production of extracellular procollagen and on the stability of the triple-helical structure of the molecule, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 336: 234–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar